Pandemexplosion

Pandemexplosion
by
Mark Wheeller

Commissioned by The International School of London.

An actor (Top Boy), a rapper, a group of school students, a university scientist and two NGO activists from Beirut have little in common but their lives are all affected by Covid-19. Mark Wheeller’s new verbatim play tells their stories. It is explosive and fascinating in turns… it is not only their story… it’s ours too.

These recollections offer positive journeys through the pandemic, contrasted with the horror of the 2020 Port of Beirut explosion, included as one of the student’s family decided to return to their Lebanon home during lockdown. This story provides the most heartbreaking moments.

Pandemexplosion offers a diverse ensemble cast ample opportunity for imaginative theatrical interpretation typical of a classic Wheeller play.

Duration: 75 minutes approx
Cast: 20 (8f, 9m, 3m or f) The style of the play enables performer gender flexibility. It works with a larger cast or with doubling a smaller cast.

For theatre makers planning next year’s activity, download the special Pandemexplosion offer from Mark Wheeller which includes:

• Free performance rights available (Mar-Aug 2024)

• 24% discount on 15+ copies of script

• 20% discount on Box House Theatre’s PANDEMEXPLOSION workshop package

Download here: PANDEMEXPLOSION – Mailer

Reviews:

“Mark Wheeller’s Pandemexplosion was clever, thoughtful, entertaining and bold and the students did an amazing job premiering this play… an outstanding piece of theatre.”
Leonard Love – Drama and Acting Lecturer; Performing Arts Course, South Staffordshire College

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“Pandemexplosion is a powerful verbatim piece. For those unfamiliar, that means no stage directions — just raw, real dialogue taken from actual people’s words. It’s both a challenge and a gift: huge chunks of text, but total creative freedom to bring them to life through movement, ensemble work, and interpretation.

The script draws from a range of real interviews, giving voice to the personal experiences of adults who lived through it — offering the cast and audience a deeper understanding of the pandemic’s wider political, emotional and social impact. For the teenagers performing it, it became a way to connect with a time they lived through as children, but were too young to fully grasp.

Pandemexplosion needs to be seen. It belongs in classrooms and school theatres across the country. It’s living history, told not by academics or governments, but through real voices — like the bards of old, keeping truth alive through performance.”
Dawn Maymand – Chase Terrace Academy